🔗 Share this article

A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness saved from conflict-ridden Ukraine has received critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a campaign by director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed on last week by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He believed the infection was due to a trauma experienced over twelve months back, leading to germs creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She said the team had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."

"Lira will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," commented Ms Smith.

This vital operation represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.